Portents of Disaster
by ReVamped
Summary: Pompeii 78 AD: A teeming, thriving, civilisation. Pompeii 79 AD: A city buried in ash. Inside of a year, Edward and Bella fall in love- however unbeknownst to them, an impending disaster looms over their heads. Can they survive the fires of Pompeii? AH
1. Prologue: 365 Days

**All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**Furthermore, I am not a historical expert. I've taken the Pompeian culture, and mashed it together with the Athenian culture to make things more exciting. But please understand, this is fiction, and I've taken a fuckload of liberties with the past...**

**This fanfiction is probably different to most things you've read before. It's set in Pompeii in 78AD, both the location and the date will be extremely important to this fanfiction, just keep that in mind. On that note, let me introduce you to Togaward... oh but first you're going to have to put up with a bit of Charlie and Carlisle. Enjoy!**

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><p><strong>VOCAB:<strong>

**Calidarium- the hot baths at the bathing rooms in Pompeii. Men would attend the baths most days to stay clean, be shaved and moisturised, and to do business. **

**Peristylium- a colonnaded garden found in most townhouses in Pompeii. Only the family and close friends would be allowed in the peristylium.**

**Tablinum- the study in a Roman Townhouse, normally the centre of the house. Business would be conducted here, and the room was by invitation only.**

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><p><strong>Prologue: 365 days<br>**

Carlisle Cullen made the decision to move his family to Pompeii after months of deliberation. However, he eventually realized that at his time of life, he needed to slow down, and most of all, enjoy. Esme, his wife, was all for this. She worried constantly about her husband, who worked non-stop, despite the fact that the family had enough money that they could have done without the added income from Carlisle's job as a Doctor. Esme knew that if Carlisle wasn't careful, he was going to drive himself to an untimely death, and so she decided that Carlisle needed a push in the right direction- towards retirement. Of course, he would think that he made the decision himself, but then again, don't all men?

Carlisle was enjoying retirement, and certainly at the moment, life didn't seem like it could get much better. He was sitting in the calidarium in the Stabian Baths in Pompeii. He preferred these baths because despite them being more expensive, here he could get some peace. Edward, his son, had declined to join him today, saying that he was restless and bored, and a ride on his new horse, Snowfire, would do him much more good then a trip to the baths. The horse had been a bribe really, Edward had not wanted to move to Pompeii at all.

Carlisle thought about his son- his stubborn, wilful son. He was a nightmare of teenage angst, or so Carlisle thought, and at 18, he should be married off by now. However, Carlisle couldn't bring himself to arrange a marriage for him, and even if he tried, he had a feeling that Edward would simply run for the hills. He'd probably move in with his cousin Emmett in protest, which would be an even worse situation, for two reasons: one, Emmett was a very frequent visitor to the brothel, and Carlisle didn't want his young and delightfully naïve son exposed to that kind of behaviour; and two, it would simply break Esme's heart to see her son unhappy. No, Carlisle couldn't do that to either of them.

Carlisle looked up as another man entered the Calidarium. This surprised him, he had been visiting the baths at this time for quite a few weeks now, and he had never once come across another man in his routine. If he had known the time, he would have been less surprised. Lost in his internal musings, Carlisle had lost track of time, causing his routine to intersect with another man's.

This man was Charles Swan, and this meeting would change both of their lives.

"Greetings sir, it's nice to see another face in here for once. Normally I don't get much company," Carlisle, ever the peacemaker, broke the somewhat awkward silence first.

"No, you're right, I don't normally see many other people in here. But it is nice."

Charles' face broke into a smile, something that made him look a lot more friendly and a lot less intimidating to Carlisle.

"I'm Charles Swan, but please, call me Charlie. I've just moved here, and I'm afraid I don't know many people, so I'm still in the dark as to who you might be."

"Carlisle Cullen, I'm new to the area too, just moved here with my wife and son. Do you have family who have moved with you?"

"At the moment, there's just me and my daughter, Bella. My wife, she passed away about a year ago, and I moved here to try and give Bella a new start. Her mother's death shook her to her core, we weren't expecting it, and she's been even more withdrawn from society than she was before, she's something of a recluse now. I thought the sunshine here would be good for her, but she barely ever sees it, she spends most of her time reading."

This was probably the longest speech from Charlie that Carlisle would ever here. Charlie was a man of few words, yet in his worry for his daughter, he quickly found him baring his soul to this relative stranger. The two continued to talk, until they noticed their skin had shrivelled up, and they both vaguely resembled prunes. The two laughed, unanimously making the decision to leave the baths behind. They had established a friendship, and this bond would simply grow stronger over time.

"Charlie, we must have you and your daughter over to our villa! I can't wait to meet Bella, she sounds like a delightful young girl. Esme's going to love her- she always wanted a little girl, but after we had Edward, it never seemed to happen for us again."

"Bella is going to love you and your family Carlisle, and I have a feeling that I will too."

The two men laughed together, as they redressed and headed outside. A young boy, clearly a slave from the way he was dressed, quickly approached Charlie. His face was drawn, and his expression grave.

"Jacob, what is it?" Charlie questioned.

"Sir, Bella's taken another fall. She's insisting she's fine, but I thought that you might want to know. It's just her wrist, but it looks inflamed to me."

"Thank you for informing me Jacob, fetch my horse please." Charlie now turned to Carlisle, "I'm afraid I must take my leave of you," Charlie's face was lined with worry, "my daughter often injures herself; she's not the most graceful creature in the world, but she frequently will downplay her injuries to make me feel better. I must stop in on her."

Charlie had already told Carlisle about Bella's tendency to fall over thin air; or, which was often more likely, her own feet. He already felt a fatherly love for the girl about which Charlie had told him so much, and he was quick to offer his services to Charlie.

"Charlie, let me come with you- I'm a doctor, well a retired one at least. I can assess Bella's injuries and tell you whether they look serious, and save you the worry."

Charlie much appreciated this offer, and agreed swiftly. The two of them rode over to Charlie's house, Charlie pushing his horse faster then he normally would have been comfortable with in his need to reach his daughter.

Charlie lived close to the baths, and near the port. The sunny August day was beautiful, as was Charlie's quaint and modest house, however the two don't notice this. They were in too much of a hurry to reach Charlie's daughter, Bella.

Charlie lead Carlisle through the house, ignoring the decorum that would have insisted Bella was brought to them. Her bedroom was off the peristylium, the family garden, and they reached it quickly. Charlie knocked on the door once, before entering swiftly. The scene before them shocked the two men, and Bella was equally shocked by her father and this unknown man bursting into her room, practically unannounced.

What Charlie and Carlisle saw was a stunning young girl, with soft brown ringlets rolling down her back, long enough for her to sit on, if she tilted her head back. Her eyes were wide in shock, and her lips were softly parted in a silent gasp. One hand was captured immobile by her side, whilst her right hand held a book up to her face. She was perched on her bed, legs innocently crossed underneath her simple blue toga, and she appeared very much unharmed.

Bella on the other hand saw two frantic men, bursting into her room- one of whom was her father, who had a terrified look in his eyes, while the other was a completely unknown, albeit extremely handsome older man. Bella was shocked, up until then having being lost in her book. She gasped silently, the shock forcing the sound out of her mouth. Her father, Charlie, strode forward, perching awkwardly on the small bed.

"Father, is everything okay? I was not expecting you back until dinner?"

Bella's soft lilt startled Carlisle. The young girl was stunningly beautiful, something Charlie had failed to mention when they discussed her before. He immediately thaught of how perfect this girl would be for Edward, who had never once seemed interested in anyone before. Carlisle had often wondered about his sexual orientation, hoping beyond belief that Edward would not show interest in people of the same gender as he- the stigma surrounding this was one he would wish on no man; however to him, Edward seemed more asexual than gay, and the one time he had confronted him about it, he had denied it with gusto, appearing offended.

"Bella, my god, Jacob told me you hurt your wrist, did you seriously believe that I would not check on you? You're my daughter, and as soon as I heard, I came home. What happened?"

Bella laughed, "Just the usual father. I tripped over an unsuspecting passer-by on the way home from the Forum, almost taking him down with me."

What Bella had chosen not to reveal to her father, was that this mysterious stranger was devastatingly handsome, and she hadn't been able to shake the image of his piercing green eyes from her mind.

"Bella, you need to be more careful! I'd be lost without you- you know that. You could have hit your head and done yourself serious injury! Please, I beg of you, look after yourself- for me?"

This speech nearly moved Bella to tears, however she quietly, yet resolutely assured Charlie that she was and will be fine. "Daddy, I've been on this earth for 17 years, and of all my tumbles, not one of them has done me serious harm. Please, don't worry about me so much, if anything happened to you while you were worrying for me, I'd never forgive myself."

The depth of Charlie and Bella's relationship amazed Carlisle, until he reluctantly drew the conclusion that the death of a family member, however tragic, can tie people together in ways that were perhaps unattainable for people who have not experienced a tragedy and pulled out the other side unharmed and together.

"Carlisle, would you mind," Charlie said, gesturing to Bella's arm with a rueful smile.

"Father, you brought a doctor with you!" Bella's shock and upset was visible on her face.

Carlisle, not wanting to cause a feud between the two, quickly intervened.

"Bella, I'm Carlisle Cullen, and I have the privilege of calling your father a friend, despite the fact that we only met this morning. When he received word that you were injured, I offered to accompany him, as I, up until my recent retirement, was a doctor of high regard, I assure you. If you will allow me to take a look at your wrist, I'm sure that I can assure the both of you that there is relatively little damage."

After turning Bella's wrist over once or twice in his hands, squeezing it gently in places, and asking Bella to make a fist and then straighten and flex her fingers several times, Carlisle pronounces Bella's wrist as merely inflamed from the impact with the ground, and declares that it will be fine, so long as she doesn't use it for a week or so. Bella looks pointedly at Charlie, as if to say, 'I told you so.'

Charlie took leave of Bella, but not before kissing her head and whispering in her ear "thank you for humouring me, darling." Turning to Carlisle, he invited him into his tablinum, or study. Carlisle, accepting with grace, exited the room swiftly, after telling Bella what a pleasure it was to make her acquaintance.

Carlisle and Charlie made themselves comfortable in the tablinum, both relaxing and reclining on the sofas laid out in there.

Charlie is the first one to break the silence: "thank you for coming with me to see Bella today Carlisle, you don't know how much I appreciate it."

"Charlie, it was my pleasure to meet your lovely daughter. Can I ask a more personal question though?"

Charlie cleared his throat gruffly, "you can ask", he said.

"Well I can't help but find myself wondering why a young girl as beautiful as your daughter isn't married at 17? Most girls are married at 14, and I see no reason as to why your daughter shouldn't be one of them."

Charlie sighed, resting his head in his hands. "You don't have a daughter Carlisle, so you don't know how much my mind rebells at the thought of giving her away to another man. However, I know that I will have to some day... but that doesn't mean that I'll give her away to any man. No, I want to find my Bella someone who'll love her as much as I do."

Carlisle admired Charlie greatly for this. Too many young girls now were married off at the tender age of 12 to much older men, in order to seal business deals, or to make political alliances. Charlie's need to find someone better for his daughter brought an idea that Carlisle had been musing over since he first met Bella to the forefront of his mind yet again.

"Charlie, I know that you want Bella to find the perfect man, but would you settle for someone who she could love and would love her in return? I can't promise he's perfect, but I can promise that he'll try harder in the world than any other man to be, especially for her."

Charlie looked puzzled, and gestured for Carlisle to continue.

"My son Edward has never found a woman that he can even stomach for more than a few hours. He barely even manages to make it through some of Esme's luncheons, often excusing himself half way through. He finds most women in our time uneducated, uninteresting, and vapid; he's never shown interest in a girl or a woman before, but I think your Bella could be the cure to this- from what you have described of her, she sounds like everything that he's ever desired in a wife."

Charlie's face immediately drew over, storm clouds falling across his brow.

"Carlisle, I thought you were above this! Are you seriously suggesting an arranged marriage between our children? Have you ignored everything I've said to you today?"

Carlisle jumped to his feet, and responded to Charlie's harsh words very simply: "Charlie, all I'm asking for is an invite for myself, my wife and my child to dine with your family. I have a feeling that that's all it will take..."

**A/N: So, what do y'all think? I'd really appreciate it if you left me a little review letting me know, and you know what, I'll even make it really easy on you, all you have to do is copy and paste one of the faces:**

**:) :D :/ :( D: ****;) ****[-'.'-]**

**Just pick one, and click that little button below... you know you want to ;)**

**Scar x**


	2. Chapter 1: 365 Days Retold

**All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**Furthermore, I am not a historical expert. I've taken the Pompeian culture, and mashed it together with the Athenian culture to make things more exciting. But please understand, this is fiction, and I've taken a fuckload of liberties with the past...**

**Welcome to chapter one, everyone who made it through the prologue... enjoy ;)**

**Vocab: **

**Temple of the Public Lares: A temple where people would pray to the household gods, generally ancestors, to keep them and their families safe.**

**Forum: The political, economic, religious and social heart of Pompeii; the most important buildings in Pompeii will all be found here, with the exception of, for example, the theatre.**

**Thermopolai: an inn/tavern/restaurant**

**Chapter 1: 365 Days Retold- BPOV**

_Mother, if you're listening, I just want to thank you. Pompeii is beautiful, and I love it here. I can look out of my window over the Bay of Naples, and the water is beautiful. I know you're looking out for me, somewhere, and I know you won't let any harm befall me- I love you mother, even if you had to leave us._

As I knelt in the Temple of the Public Lares, my mind was overcome with thoughts of my mother. Her beautiful smile, and the way she smelled as she kissed me on the cheek each night; the transformation she would undergo every time she hosted a luncheon or Charlie had friends round- I would watch her change from my lovely mother, to a strikingly beautiful, older woman. It was transfixing to watch.

But my mother would never again kiss my cheek, or attend a party on Charlie's arm. At 36 she had fallen pregnant again, and childbirth had claimed both her life, and the life of my baby brother. My father Charlie had been devastated to lose her, but it was a possibility from the very start of her pregnancy, due to her advanced age; and when it happened, we had both made our peace with her.

I missed my mother greatly, and that is why I make time most days to visit the Temple of the Public Lares, and to pray to her, and ask her to watch over me. I only hope that she hears, and knows she is in my thoughts.

I sighed, standing up and turning towards Alice- my maid and much more importantly, my best friend. She accompanies me when I leave the house, along with Jacob, my fathers' manservant. I linked my arm with Alice, letting her gently guide me towards the door to the temple, following her blindly. The further I moved away from the temple, the more I became myself again, but thoughts of my mother often saddened me greatly, and there's only so much my bright, bubbly Alice can do.

"Bella, where to now? Are we heading home?" Alice questioned me quietly, as Jacob and her wait at the exit to the temple for my decision.

I had no jobs to do in the Forum, so made the decision to simply head home- to me this seemed the wisest option. I was tired from the hour or so I had spent kneeling on the hard wooden paved stones in the Temple of the Lares, and I knew that Alice had chores that she needed to do, and I could only help her if Charlie was not in- at this time of day he would still be at the baths, so if we hurried, we could complete her chores and have the rest of the day to ourselves.

"Home, I think, would be the wisest option, Alice," I winked at Alice after making sure Jacob was not watching, and she covertly winked back, sticking her tongue out at me too.

I laughed to myself, before starting on the route home, knowing Alice and Jacob would be one step behind, as appropriate in public.

Alice was my godsend, she was there for me when my mother died, to be a shoulder to cry on, and she was there too when Charlie withdrew into himself for a while, leaving me to care for myself. She helped me to bring him out of his shell, and she helped me to deal with being removed from everything I knew and loved, as I was deposited here in Pompeii.

This was Charlie's idea of a fresh start, but my memories of my mother never faded, but neither did I want them to. To date, the favourite memory I have of my mother is shortly before she fell pregnant. It was one of the last times I remember her and I leaving the house together- when the pregnancy was discovered she was confined to bed rest.

"_Bella! Bella! Where are you!"_

"_I'm here mum, what are you shouting me for?"_

_I ran into my mother's arms, as she opened them wide and embraced me. Her comforting lavendar scent infused the air, and the huge smile on her face told me that she had something planned for just the two of us._

"_Bella, I've had the best idea ever. Come with me!"_

_Mom took me to her room, somewhere I was not normally allowed, at least not when Charlie was home. But he was out on business today, in the close-by town of Herculanium, just a little farther up the slope of Mount Vesuvius._

"_Come here Bella, today we're going to do something special."_

_Mom had Alice fetch her two finest togas, lying them out on the bed. She held them up against me- one, and then the other, before muttering to herself "definitely the blue one."_

_She carefully helped me to pull on the garment, wrapping it around myself in the fashion of the time, the style letting the garment hang a tad lower on me than I was used to. She did the same for herself with the brown toga, before repositioning her own neckline dangerously low. Mom loved to attract attention to herself._

_She sat me on the bed, before draping me in jewels- rubies and diamonds. Two different gold necklaces around my neck, a circlet on my head, cushioned by my hair, which she elegantly piled into a messy up-do. Rings on my fingers and toes, and heavy gold bracelets almost up to my elbows on both wrists. _

_She dressed herself in a similar fashion, before pulling out her cosmetics draw from her dresser. _

_She started with a layer of white, lead-based foundation, smearing it lightly all over my face and neck. She then moved on to a powdery substance which I knew to be red ochre. She rubbed it into my cheeks and lips to rouge them. Once she was satisfied with this, she moved on to my eyes, outlining them with kohl. She did the same to herself, nearly twice as quickly, before shouting for Jacob to bring us the large mirror that normally hung in Charlie's tablinum. I didn't know at the time, but on our journey to Pompeii it would shatter into thousands of peaces as it fell from the cart and onto the road. We left it there, abandoned and jagged, very much like our still-raw souls felt._

_Jacob brought the mirror to us, and presented us with it. Reflected in the mirror were two women, stunningly beautiful, and delightfully similar. If it weren't for the age difference, and my mother's piercing blue eyes, we could have passed for identical twins._

_Mom took me out- first to the most expensive thermopolai in town, and we drew stares on the street as we walked. Two unaccompanied women dressed up to the nines would normally be prostitutes, but mom, as always, didn't give a shit about what people thought of her- as long as she was having fun._

_After we ate, we went to the baths, and we spent the entire day relaxing, and just talking to each other, until we headed..._

I hit the ground with a muted thump, catching most of the impact on my wrist. I gasped in pain, but also in shock, as I caught sight of what had sent me flying in such an ungainly manner.

The most beautiful boy I had ever seen was dismounting his horse and lowering himself to the ground to kneel worriedly next to me, his face the picture of concern. I took a second glance at his face, and corrected myself quickly- this was not a boy, this was a man.

"Miss, I am so dreadfully sorry, you have my most sincere apologies, I was not watching where I was going, and now I've knocked you over. Are you injured? Do you need a doctor?" His voice was like bells in my ears, it was beautiful and melodic, and it caused a strange reaction in me, a sort of tingling sensation that I couldn't understand.

I allowed him to help me to my feet, by placing one hand on his arm, and I was shocked at the electrical current that sparked where we touched. Our eyes met in what seemed to me to be mutual surprise, and I noticed that his eyes were a stunning shade of pea-green that I had never seen before.

Everything about him seemed to strike me at once, as I stood much too close to him- something that I dare say was quite obscene between two such strangers, but I couldn't bring myself to care. I was too captivated by his strong jawline, and the beautiful mess of copper locks that perched on top of his head in such a disorderly fashion. He was easily the most handsome man I had ever seen, by a long shot, and I felt a tingling between my legs, as he spoke again, his voice washing over me.

"Miss, are you injured? That was a nasty fall you just took... Snowfire's a big animal, and your collision with her sent you straight down."

Remembering the ungainly fall I had just taken brought back to me where and who I was. I immediately gasped and jumped away from this beautiful, perfect stranger.

"I'm so sorry sir, this entire mess was my fault- I was lost in thought, and my brain must have been on autopilot, because I was completely unaware of where I was and what I was doing. I'm so very sorry to inconvenience you, but I assure you, I'm absolutely fine. No damage done, either to myself, or to your horse I hope." Oh god, I was starting to babble with nerves and awkwardness. I decided fleeing the scene was my best option, in order to save face.

"I do apologise, but I must be on my way. Thank you for your concern, and I'm very sorry for not watching where I was going."

Without letting him get another word in, I fled; briskly marching away. The further I walked, the more I noticed a throbbing pain in my wrist. I glanced down at it to see it already swelling in size. Determined to ignore it, and create even more space between myself and the devastatingly handsome stranger, I carried on walking, only to gasp in pain when Alice grasped my wrist to slow me down so she could catch up.

"Oh my god, Bella, your wrist!" Alice was shocked, and her eyes quickly welled up. "I'm so sorry, I didn't realise you were hurt. I thought you said to that man that you were fine?"

"I am fine, Alice, don't worry. Let's just get home, then you can fuss, okay?"

Alice smiled at me, acquiescing and accepting my decision. She still held on to my arm for another second or so as she lowered her voice and whispered in my ear, "you may have got off now, in public, Bella; but later I will be asking you all about that man we just met, and your rather interesting reaction to him!"

I shook Alice off, dreading the privacy we shared, as I knew that as soon as she got the opourtunity to quiz me, I would never hear the end of it... damn Alice and her all-to-perceptive self. She could read me like an open book, and she knew just as well as I did, that I had never reacted to anyone in that way before...

_-B-_

I awoke to see Alice's face filling my entire line of vision, a most disconcerting sight to wake up to, and one that she knew frightened the living daylights out of me. After we had got my scream, and the two or so minutes she had to give me to recover my breath out of the way, she dragged me around the room, quickly preparing me for the day.

As she sat me down to do my hair, she first inquired about my wrist, but after ascertaining that it felt much better today, she started on the topic of the mysterious, handsome stranger.

"So Bella, this man, you were standing very close to him, don't you think?"

"Alice, he was helping me up, he has to stand close to me to help me up."

"But you remained standing close to him for quite a while, don't you think? Much longer than appropriate, one might even say..."

"Alice, I'm not sure what you're imagining, but we spent the requisite amount of time standing next to each other in order for him to steady me after helping me to my feet."

"But Bella, don't you think that he was extremely handsome?"

At this, my shackles raised for a reason that I couldn't quite identify.

"Yes, he was very good looking Alice, do you have a crush on him then?"

Alice merely laughed at me, "oh please Bella, he's so not my type. Much too mysterious and brooding for me!"

Now that I had assured myself that Alice was not lusting after this stranger, I felt better and was more able to join in with her jokes.

"So what is your type then Alice?" I teased.

"I'm not quite sure yet, but I will definitely know when I see him," she replied.

"Come on Alice, you must know a little more than that!"

Alice paused to think for a second, closing her eyes and stopping the gentle tugging at my scalp that always occurred when she pinned my hair into place.

"He'll be blonde, with beautiful blue eyes, and..."

Suddenly her eyes opened, and she sighed. "What was I saying?" she asked me.

"You just said your ideal man will have blue eyes and blonde hair," I replied, slightly confused.

"He will?"

Alice seemed frantic at this, pulling my to face hers and look into her eyes.

"Gees, Alice, calm down. That's what you just said..."

Alice sometimes got like this, she'd say odd things and then ask me for confirmation of what she just said, as if she didn't remember. It was odd, but I loved her for it- she was like my sister, I loved everything about Alice, her little quirks included.

"He's going to be perfect," she sighed romantically, very much like a girl already in love.

I rolled my eyes, letting Alice have her moment. The truth was that her chances of meeting someone were very little. As a slave, which is what Alice truly was- despite the fact that we tried not to acknowledge between us, the simple realities of life were that when I was married off, she would come with me. Chances were she would be taken advantage of by someone in the household, possibly even my husband, and fall pregnant. Her child or children would all grow up to be slaves too, and she could never marry.

Alice's only hope was to be made a freedman, which was almost unheard of for a woman, and no matter how much I had begged Charlie, he had always refused to even consider this. Alice was much too valuable to our family for him to let her go just like that. My only other hope was that my husband would free her for me, but considering that Charlie was the most lenient man I knew, the chances of this seemed minute.

No, Alice was doomed- but then again, my life would be very similar.

As soon as Charlie found someone who would marry me, someone who would be beneficial to the family or to the business, I would be married off. The only reason I was not married already was because Charlie could not find anyone willing, or so I could only assume. I was plain, nothing special to look at, and thus my marriage prospects were relatively low.

Charlie would probably find someone in the end though, and the happiness that I have known in his household would be gone, and I would be there to fulfil the every whim of another man. A complete stranger.

No, true love does not exist. You can grow to love someone, like Charlie and Renee did; but they were one of the lucky few. I was merely hoping for a man who did not demand too much of me physically- many men forced their wives to bear them an heir as often as they could, and it was thought to be one of the biggest causes of death in women.

No, this was surely not too much to hope for? A man who would simply leave me be- my idea of heaven.

A knock on my door interrupted my musings, and I gestured for Alice to go see to it.

She re-entered the room, to tell me that Charlie wanted to see me in his tablinum, at once.

I walked briskly over to my father's study, where I found him reclining on one of the couches artfully laid out around the room.

"Bella, I just thought you might want to know- we will be having company for supper. Carlisle and his family will be joining us- he has a child around your own age, and I think the two of you will become... friends."

Charlie smiled at me, and then rose to his feet, pulling me into one of his rare hugs.

"I love you baby girl," he whispered in my ear.

"I love you too daddy," I assured him.

**A/N: Hope y'all are still with me? No? Okay *sad face*  
>No, seriously, I'd really appreciate a little review or two, letting me know that you're actually enjoying it, and this isn't just a bunch o'crap... I've even made it triply easy on you, all you have to do is copy and paste one of the faces below! Please?<strong>

**:) :D :/ :( D: ;) :-{ ****[-'.'-]**

**Just pick one, and click that little button below... you know you want to ;)**

**-Scar x**


	3. Chapter 2: 364 Days

**All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**Furthermore, I am not a historical expert. I've taken the Pompeian culture, and mashed it together with the Athenian culture to make things more exciting. But please understand, this is fiction, and I've taken a fuckload of liberties with the past...**

**A/N: Chapter 2 already, I hear you cry ;) But I'm super-excited about this story and I've got enough free time at the moment to get away with writing constantly, but hey, I'm sure y'all aren't complaining!**

**Chapter 2: 364 days- BPOV (Never fear, Edward will get his say in the end)**

After Charlie informed me that we would be having Carlisle over for dinner, I hurried back to the room to tell Alice the news. I was really excited to meet Carlisle's daughter, or at least I assumed she must be his daughter- after all, Charlie would never encourage a friendship between myself and a boy!

Alice, of course, had discovered all of this in the time it took for Charlie to tell me, and was busy rummaging through my wardrobe, claiming to be 'trying to find the perfect toga for tonight.' Eventually, she decided on a beautiful blue toga that reminded me of one of my mother's togas, but it was cut to fit my more modest form. It was a lovely rich colour, and I adored it.

After a quick trip to the baths, to make sure I was clean for tonight, I gossiped with Alice as she removed my hair from the pins she put had put it in in the morning, to redo it in a much fancier up do.

"What do you think she's going to be like?" I asked Alice, excitedly.

Alice looked puzzled, "who?"

"Carlisle's daughter of course!" I was pleased to know something that Alice didn't for once, as normally she seemed much more informed of everything that went on around the villa than I was.

Alice's puzzled expression changed into a frown. "Carlisle has a daughter? Are you sure?"

"Positive," I replied. "Why else would Charlie encourage me to be friends with her?"

"It could just as easily be a boy, Bella. I mean would a... _friendship_ with someone of the opposite sex really be so out of the question?"

I sighed, Alice and I had debated this topic many times. "Alice, you know that men only want two things- sex, and heirs. I could deal with the heirs bit if it wasn't so intrinsically linked with the whole sex debacle- I mean I don't mind small children! But sex? The idea of it just seems so foreign and strange to me, to let someone do_ that _to you. I just can't imagine it!"

Alice huffed and smiled. "When you meet your perfect man, everything will make sense Bella. You just remembered that."

I just smiled, not wanting to argue with Alice- after all, how would she know? She had just as much experience when it came to relationships as I did- and that was a big fat nothing.

_-B-_

I was finally ready for Carlisle's arrival, seated sedately in the atrium. Alice was standing almost unnoticed behind me, for which I was very grateful for, as I admired the beautiful impluvium that was the central focus of this room. The impluvium was a way for our family to store the water we needed for everyday tasks, such as cooking and cleaning, as we were not one of the lucky few who had running water in their house- an expensive and rare commodity. The impluvium was a small indent in the ground, where rainwater fell through a hole in the roof and was stored in the little pool.

I think what I like about the impluvium however, especially later on in the day, was that it gave you a perfect view to the night sky- something that I often simply didn't take notice of. Somehow having a room lit by starlight seemed to me to bring attention to the sky in a way that very little else did.

I wasn't complaining though, the stars were burning brightly tonight. Alice loved the stars, and I was sure that she was as entranced by them as I was.

Startling me out of my thoughts, Jacob lead Carlisle into the room, and Charlie immediately jumped to his feet to greet his new friend. I was more sedate in my greeting of Carlisle, more wary around new people than Charlie. I looked around for the rest of his family, but saw no one, not even his wife and never mind his daughter.

As if sensing my silent inquiry into the absence of his family, Carlisle immediately began to explain that his wife was a little under the weather, however his 'insolent child' was insisting on riding over. Charlie simply laughed, rolling his eyes.

"Children nowadays, they will always seem to defy you!" Charlie joked, winking at me as he invited Carlisle to take a seat.

"Ahh, hopefully mine won't keep this up, for it really is exhausting work- hopefully he should be here soon."

I missed almost the entirety of this interchange between my father and his friend, so focussed on the fact that my 'new friend' would be riding over, alone. This would never be allowed of a girl, however surely Alice could not be right? Charlie couldn't be encouraging a friendship between me and a... boy? I tuned in to the last of the conversation, only to hear 'he should be here soon', and all my suspicions were confirmed.

Carlisle's child was indeed male, and Charlie was encouraging me to interact with him. I would try, because after all, it would be extraordinarily rude not to, but I simply could not comprehend the idea of friendship between the two of us- we were practically two different species in my mind, and the idea that we could have enough similarities to be _friends _was an utterly ludicrous idea to me.

Immediately my mind jumped back to the handsome, green-eyed stranger, who's presence had had such an affect on me yesterday. I briefly wondered if I could be friends with _him_, before shaking this thought from my head and rejoining the conversation as best I could. As I listened in, I heard Charlie mention something about his servant, Jasper.

"Charlie, would you mind terribly if Jasper joined your servants for tonight? He drove me over here, and the only other alternative would be to leave him outside. It just doesn't seem fair, you know?"

Charlie was a huge advocate of servants' rights, following in Renee's footsteps- even if he would not go so far as to give Alice her freedom- and therefore he easily acquiesced to Carlisle's simple request.

"Jacob, kindly go fetch Jasper from outside please. Take him through to the kitchen and give him a good meal," said Charlie.

When Jacob brought Jasper through, Jasper kindly thanking his master and my father for their generosity, I heard a soft, almost inaudible gasp from behind me- it took me a few seconds to realise that it must have emanated from Alice, and I realised in a flash that this had everything to do with Jasper's presence.

I beckoned Alice close to me with one hand, and promptly told her that her services would not be necessary tonight, and she should feel free to go join the other servants in the kitchen. Alice's eyes widened infinitesimally, and she thanked me wholeheartedly, knowing exactly what I was doing for her.

Alice knew how uncomfortable I would be without her by my side, even if she was relegated to standing in the corner, so she understood how much of a sacrifice it was for me to relinquish this comfort to give her a chance to be with this Jasper. I just hoped he was worth it.

I settled back on to the couch, perched elegantly on the edge of it- forbidden to recline as the two men did, for this was not seemly for a woman. I would be glad of my rigid posture however, when another voice announced its presence to the room.

"Hello?"

"Edward, my boy! You made it!" Carlisle beamed at his son, greeting him with a hug, however I was less concerned with Carlisle greeting his son, and more concerted with this man's identity.

Calling him a man was perhaps a stretch of the imagination, for on closer inspection I could see he was but 19 or 20; and as for his identity- well this was my green-eyed stranger, the man who's face had haunted my thoughts for days now.

I must have expressed something of my shock vocally, for every eye in the room turned to me.

"I, I ap... I appologise, s...sss...sorry," I could feel my cheeks burn with embarrassment, and the blush I knew so well was sure to be spreading over my chest too, which was fortunately mostly covered by the lovely toga Alice had picked out for me.

Everyone was still looking at me curiously, and I tried to gather the breath to somehow explain my gasp when my stranger... no, my _Edward, _as I now knew his name to be, interrupted gently.

"Please, allow me to explain. Father, Charles;" he said, turning to each man respectively, "I had the pleasure of making the lady's acquaintance yesterday, when I managed to knock her over with Snowfire, my new horse. She dashed off before I could offer to accompany her to a physician, and the matter of having injured such a beautiful lady has rested heavily on my mind ever since."

There was no other way to describe Edward Cullen's voice other than melted sin.

Turning to me, now, his voice deepened, growing... huskier, for want of a better word. It was like he was speaking directly into my soul. "My lady, I trust I find you as perfect as ever, and your tumble has not injured you."

"N...No, I'm, I'm fine, Edward. Truly," I somehow managed to mumble back, my voice falling flat when compared to the bells with which he spoke.

"Ahh, and here lies the crux of the matter, I have nothing by which to address you, apart from my lady, or," and here he lowered his voice even more, "or beautiful..."

"Please, call me Bella," I replied; eager to hear my name fall from his mouth.

"Well it seems I will be calling you beautiful after all then, my Bella."

Someone cleared their throat loudly, and both Edward and I jumped, turning towards the noise. Both Charlie and Carlisle stood their, their faces painted with highly amused expressions, and I blushed vigorously once again.

Charlie, breaking the awkward moment, brought my attention to my surroundings, by gesturing to Edward to take a seat next to him. I realised that somehow my body had somehow dragged me to my feet and walked me over to Edward without my knowledge or permission. The two of us, like magnets, had been drawn together from opposite sides of the room.

"So, Edward, you're the cause of my frantic dash home yesterday after receiving news that _my _Bella had hurt herself in a nasty fall?" My father _had_ to chose this moment to bring that up again, didn't he. I should have known that once he discovered Edward had played a part in my accident, no matter how small that part may have been, Edward was in for an interrogation.

I noticed the stress on the '_my _Bella' that Charlie had uttered_, _and I was pretty sure that Edward had noticed this too, his face paling and turning towards my own.

"Bella, _I hurt you_?" His voice was pained, and his face ashen. The idea seemed so repulsive and abhorrent to him, that I swore that for a second his eyes glistened.

"Edward, it was but a small bruise, I'm never without a bruise or two- a strained wrist is nothing special to me, and most definitely not a big deal whatsoever," I hastened to reassure him of my health. "It barely even hurts today!" I said, waving my wrist around casually, and ignoring the slight twinge of pain that occurred when I did.

Carlisle, speaking up for the first time, said "let me be the judge of that Bella," and proceeded to examine my wrist once more. He proclaimed it much better already, but warned me to take it easy. He then went on the reprimand his son, warning him to be more careful with that new horse of his.

"Carlisle, the accident was my fault, not Edward's. I was not looking where I was going, I was lost in my thoughts, please do not reprimand Edward for my incompetence!" My tone was pleading, I would not let Edward take the blame for what was simply yet another of my clumsier moments.

Both Charlie and Carlisle chucked, at what I assumed must have been at my immediate defence of Edward. For the third time tonight, I blushed scarlet in embarrassment.

"Please, Bella, forgive me. I'm truly sorry that you have come to harm on my account. You cannot know how much this pains me." Edward's voice still sounded pained, and I vowed to do whatever I could to return it to its previous timbre.

"Edward, I am naturally clumsy, we both know full well that my injury is entirely my fault, so please feel no guilt over something that you played very little part in. You might have been a brick wall for all the difference it would have made," here everyone chuckled, "because the outcome would have been very much the same." I lowered my voice, trying to let Edward know that these words were for him alone. "And furthermore, anything that brought me to you cannot be a bad thing, surely..."

I had really put myself out there with that final sentence, and I was utterly shocked at my audacity. As it seemed, was Edward, whom I had rendered completely speechless. Instead of words, he crossed the room and knelt by my feet, which hung off the sofa, just touching the ground. He silently reached for my wrist, and pressed it to his lips, placing a feather-light kiss on the tender skin.

"Bella, you are truly a goddess among woman," he breathed. This was meant entirely for me, and was said so lightly that I barely heard myself, never mind Charlie and Carlisle being able to catch what he had said.

Charlie finally decided to intervene in our moment, saying that perhaps it was time for the men to go through to the tablinum, and I should retire for the night.

Carlisle and Edward both nodded their assent, and I was in no way offended at my dismissal. After all, this was very much the way of life- women would be sent away while the men discussed business and the like. I would have liked to sit in on these conversations and prove to everyone that I was not the doltish and simple-minded woman that most men saw me as. However in our society, women were inferior, and this would never even be considered appropriate.

In our civilisation, no matter how many modern amenities we had, there would always be the simple fact that women and slaves were on what was very much an unequal footing. We were bound to our masters- be it whomever bought us, in the case of slaves; or whomever married us, in the case of wives. We were not even considered citizens- in the eyes of the law we were simply property.

Charlie and Carlisle bustled on through to the tablinum, and I assumed that Edward followed them through, despite not witnessing him walk away with my own two eyes.

I relaxed on the couch, letting myself sink into its cushions in a completely undignified matter. A woman should always have her back straight and her posture prim when in the company of men, however now that I was alone, I couldn't bring myself to care about having a 'proper posture'- I was more concerned about relaxing and letting the tension that had arisen from seeing my stranger again, and under such unusual circumstances!

"It's nice to see you relax, you've looked so tense all evening."

Edward's voice appeared to come out of nowhere, a disembodied murmur that all at once seemed to come from all around me, and yet had no single source. It sent shivers down my spine and raised goose pimples on the exposed flesh of my arms and neck. I started and let out a little scream, the shock of being so sure I was alone taking me by surprise.

Jumping up, I whirled around to come face to face with Edward himself, standing so close to me we were almost touching. He pressed one finger to my lips, mutely letting me know that silence was necessary if we did not want to be disturbed.

"Bella, we do not have long, I will be missed soon. I just, I could not bare to leave you alone, I haven't been able to stop thinking about you- it is like you've enchanted me. Ever since we bumped into each other on the street, you've been constantly on my mind, and in my heart."

Edward's voice was little above a whisper, but the passion contained within it was strong. I almost gasped again, but Edward's finger against my lips reminded me to be silent.

"Edward, I feel the same way, you have been in my thoughts since I first set eyes upon you, and I have been unable to shake your image from my mind." I returned his sentiments, trying to convey the ardor that I too felt through my words.

Edward was by far the most beautiful man that I had ever seen, and he was here, with me. It was like something from a fairy tale, like something from the fables mother had read to me as a child.

"I wish you could join us, in your father's tablinum. It seems completely unfair to me that you are sent away while we talk. Women are constantly oppressed in our society, and I just wish that we could give them a chance to speak out, for I feel our views on the world would easily be changed just with one simple conversation." Edward took a breath, and then moved his hand from pressed against my lips, to cupping my chin. He tilted my head up towards him, our eyes meeting and our bodies only centimetres away from each other.

Edward was echoing my thoughts from earlier. If I hadn't have known better, I would have said he could read my mind. The way his opinions mirrored mine was simply enchanting.

"Bella, you're so beautiful. I've never felt this attraction, this pull to anyone before. Love and affection are two unknowns to me, but will you let us discover them together?"

Edward's words were spoken from his soul, and as I looked into his eyes, I felt that I could see into the very depths of him, and I was not left wanting. The moment seemed to linger for hours, when it was but a brief fraction of a second; however all too soon, I felt words leave my mouth:

"Together, Edward."

I rose my body up on my tiptoes, however I still wasn't tall enough. Placing both my hands on Edward's shoulders, I pulled his face down towards mine. Our lips brushed together with just the faintest touch, but it felt like so much more. One simple kiss, our very first kiss, left me wanting and needy; however just as I was about to pull Edward's face down to mine once more, the door slammed against the wall, the booming noise reverberating around the room.

Edward and I flew apart, however it was too late- the look in Charlie's eyes told me he had seen enough.

"Bella, go to bed- now. Edward, come with me."

His tone of voice left no room to reason with him, and with one last fleeting glance at each other, Edward and I left the room in separate directions, but my lips already ached to feel his on mine again.

Yet from the look I thought I had glimpsed in Charlie's eyes, I was not sure how feasible that would be for us...

**A/N: Okay, I don't normally do this, but this story really hasn't been getting much of a following. I've been pouring my heart and soul into this, and I'd really like some feedback, yet people just don't seem to like this story. I'm not going to waste my time writing something that in reality is shit- so please, will you just leave me a little message to reassure me that I'm not crap, and you're actually enjoying this- because at the moment, I feel like this is all pointless. **

**Thank you however to Sandy4321 and Gracefish21 who have been absolutely lovely and completely reassuring, which really is much appreciated...**


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